Wiesel Basel-Landschaft

The native weasels are among the smallest carnivores in Central Europe. The least weasel measures only about 11 to 17 centimetres in head and body length at a weight of roughly 30 to 80 grams, while the stoat is markedly larger at 17 to 30 centimetres and 100 to 250 grams. Both species have an elongated, cylindrical body that allows them to hunt inside vole runs. Their main prey are voles and other small mammals, and the stoat will also take prey up to the size of young rabbits.

The most reliable field mark is the tail tip. In the stoat it is sharply black throughout the year, including in the white winter coat that birds at higher altitudes regularly develop. The least weasel lacks this black tip; its tail is shorter and uniformly brown. As an additional clue, the border between the brown back and the white belly runs in a straight line in the stoat, while in the least weasel it is often irregular and indented.

Both species inhabit open and semi open landscapes. Hedges, stone piles, dry stone walls, herb rich margins, fallow ground and structurally rich meadow edges provide cover and prey. Closed forests are avoided. Weasels are therefore classic indicator species of a small scale, varied agricultural landscape, and their occurrence is closely tied to the preservation of connecting elements such as hedgerows, margins and small structures.

The hunting and legal status varies across the DACH region. In Germany the least weasel is protected year round in most federal states or has been removed from the list of huntable species altogether, and the same is largely true for the stoat, although individual states such as Bavaria still set an open season for the stoat. In Austria the rules are made at state level: in some federal states hunting is permitted, in others both species are protected year round. In Switzerland both species are protected and may not be hunted, and the least weasel is additionally listed on the national Red List. At the international level both species are listed under the Bern Convention.